It matters what car seat you’re putting in, not what car. You don’t need to crowdsource backseat dimensions, that’s easily accessible information.

Anonymous wrote:OP here
Great tips all! This maybe a twice a month kind of event - maybe a 20 minute drive plus return and I’m fine being sort of squeezed and uncomfortable. Just need access to seat belts on either side really.
I realize I said Acura MDX when I meant RDX. I know the former has a small third row which could work if I strike out on 2 row options. And I did mean to include the CRV as I’ve been eyeing that option too.

Getting new car seats is on the table but when I had so called narrow seats (Foonf or Funf or whatever it’s called) it was just so tall and heavy. They’re actually still sitting in a closet. Our Chiccos are quite reasonable in size and I only have the outboard cup holders installed.

Anyone who can comment on the RAV4? I rode in a colleague’s recently and I agree that it seemed quite spacious in the backseat but so hard to gauge without a car seat actually in there.

We have a new RAV4 Hybrid and two kids in boosters (which are narrower than normal car seats) and it's still a very tight squeeze.

Anonymous wrote:I have a 2019 rav4 hybrid, and unless the new model is substantially bigger, no, you cannot fit an adult or even a child between two carseats in the back.

Whelp. That’s not going to work!

I have a 2019 rav4 hybrid, and unless the new model is substantially bigger, no, you cannot fit an adult or even a child between two carseats in the back.

OP here
Great tips all! This maybe a twice a month kind of event - maybe a 20 minute drive plus return and I’m fine being sort of squeezed and uncomfortable. Just need access to seat belts on either side really.
I realize I said Acura MDX when I meant RDX. I know the former has a small third row which could work if I strike out on 2 row options. And I did mean to include the CRV as I’ve been eyeing that option too.

Getting new car seats is on the table but when I had so called narrow seats (Foonf or Funf or whatever it’s called) it was just so tall and heavy. They’re actually still sitting in a closet. Our Chiccos are quite reasonable in size and I only have the outboard cup holders installed.

Anyone who can comment on the RAV4? I rode in a colleague’s recently and I agree that it seemed quite spacious in the backseat but so hard to gauge without a car seat actually in there.

We have a Volvo XC60x and love it. It has great space but isn’t huge and drives like a car. We did not want a three row SUV either and this model won our for us. We have also had barely any problems with it in 120,000 miles. Just the usual things you encounter.

As for fitting two car seats and an adult in the rear, it’s not a roomy fit but a doable fit. We can fit two Diono Radians and have a window seat free for an adult when needed (we typically leave the middle seat open unless are planning on needing to have an adult sit in back and then shift one to the middle). Both of ours are forward faxing. If it’s for occasional use and you have an average sized adult who will be in the back then it’s a good bet.

Anonymous wrote:Is the Pilot too big for your tastes?

You might look at Hyundai as well. The Santa Fe might be too tight, but I bet the Palisade can handle it.

We have a pilot and love it, but it’s 3 rows (either 7 or 8 seat configuration). We also have a CRV (not on the original list) it has two rows and a small adult can fit between the seats but it’s not comfortable and I wouldn’t recommend for longish trips (ask me how I know).

We have an MDX (which has a third row) and the 2nd row has two car seats
I rode in between both today because the youngest was having a hard time during the ride and it wasn’t comfortable.

Another option is you move the oldest to the third row, but that’s only comfortable if the seat in front of them is down, otherwise it’s cramped back there.

I recently rode in a Volvo XC-90 with captain seats in middle row, the second and 3rd row appeared to be comfortable to the people riding in the back

Explorer.

How often does grandma ride up front? Is this a weekly/monthly or 2x/yr event?

I had a friend use the diono radian narrow seats. BUT she put them next to each other. Medium size adult sat behind the driver. Don’t make an adult sit between 2 adults. Friend had a Ford Escape..

Get smaller car seats. We have dionos and they allow for much more room over the previous britax. Make sure they dont have cup holders etc.

Is the Pilot too big for your tastes?

You might look at Hyundai as well. The Santa Fe might be too tight, but I bet the Palisade can handle it.

Audi Q5


Honestly though the RAV 4 has the most room of all cars in that size.

This is super random but thought I’d put it out there since a lot of others in this forum have 2 toddlers: we’re looking to buy a non-huge SUV where there’s enough room in the back seat for a medium sized adult to squeeze in between 2 forward-facing car seats. This isn’t for long road trips or anything, just the occasional trip around town when grandma is riding up front. I’ve done endless online searches but so much seems to change from one model year to the next and I hate car forums. We live in downtown dc and a large suv or mini van with 3 rows simply won’t comfortably fit in our garage, but I’m beginning to think there’s no better option.

Some ideas I’ve come up with (by no means exhaustive) but haven’t tested:
2023 RAV4 hybrid
2023 Volvo XC60
2023 Acura MDX

Tried the VW Tiguan but seems no better than our current vw sedan. We have chicco 3-1 car seats for twin 2.5 year olds - forward facing. Also welcome tips on options that won’t work too!